NEWTOWN FLUSHING. 15 



bling the country-seats or villas of England. As a protection 

 from the sun s rays, windows were generally provided with 

 green Venetian blinds opening on the outside. Grave-yards, 

 or private burying places, were innumerable, and like the 

 flower plots and gardens, kept in an untidy manner. 



On passing the village of Newtown, celebrated as the place 

 where the delicious apple bearing its name was first disco 

 vered, we drove into a shed, a convenience attached to every 

 country place of entertainment in the eastern United States, 

 and after giving orders for the tending of our horse, applied 

 at the bar of a respectable-looking hotel, if we could have 

 dinner. A thin vixen-looking woman peeped from behind a 

 door, and whispered something to the landlord, who immedi 

 ately told us, in a civil tone of voice, he could not comply with 

 the request, as they were engaged in cleaning the house. 

 There was no alternative but to proceed, and on reaching a 

 good-looking hotel at Flushing, about one o clock, we learned 

 that the dinner hour was at two, but no objection was made to 

 accommodate us immediately. Table was prepared by a pretty 

 young woman, called, in this part of the world, a hired girl ; 

 and in less than a quarter of an hour from the time of our arri 

 val, dinner was set before us. The same person, whom I con 

 sider entitled to the name of lady, being neat in dress, easy 

 and polite in manners, waited during dinner in a standing 

 position. She conversed freely and sensibly on different sub 

 jects, without forwardness or levity of conduct, and apologized 

 for part of our fare not being so nice as it would have been, 

 had time been allowed for preparation. On paying the bill, 

 a gratuity was not proffered for her services, nor did she seem 

 to expect it. The hostler, however, made a demand, and told 

 us he did not receive wages from the master of the house, but 

 depended entirely on travellers for remuneration. 



The nurseries of Messrs Prince, the most extensive in 

 America, are situated at Flushing, and were visited by us. 

 The grounds, compared with such places in Britain, and some 

 others which I saw in America, seemed badly kept, being full 

 of perennial root-weeds of the most troublesome description, 

 as well as those of annual growth. 



Agriculture being little known as a science in any part of 

 America, and but imperfectly understood as an art, the same 



